Written Answers Thursday 1 December 2005

Scottish Executive

Central Heating

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the targets are for installations by Eaga Partnership Ltd under its central heating installation programme in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in respect of (i) all households and (ii) pensioners’ homes.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Eaga Partnership Ltd administers the central heating programme for pensioners’ homes in the private sector.

  The central heating programme is a demand-led scheme. The number of installations in any particular area is dependent on the number of eligible applicants applying to the programme. Therefore, targets are set at a national level not by local authority area.

Council Tax

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the actual cost of collecting council tax has been in each year since 1997, expressed also as a percentage of total council tax revenue raised and broken down by local authority.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S2W-20144 by George Lyon on 9 November 2005, what the definitional issues and complex and significant national and local financial implications are of making all pensioners exempt from paying council tax.

George Lyon: A table covering the period requested is shown as follows. However, caution should be exercised when using the figures to express percentages because a negative net cost is reported in some years (for example, where a council has received cumulative income from surcharges that have been recovered from previous years).

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1996-97

  

 
 Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection1
 Income Council Tax Collection1,2
 Net Cost of Council Tax Collection1
 Net Council Tax Income3


 Scotland
 39,510
 13,183
 26,327
 1,194,285


 Aberdeen City
 1,804
 291
 1,513
 50,258


 Aberdeenshire
 1,340
 210
 1,130
 47,530


 Angus
 723
 -
 723
 23,894


 Argyll and Bute
 732
 -
 732
 24,107


 Clackmannanshire
 589
 196
 393
 10,599


 Dumfries and Galloway
 833
 164
 669
 30,648


 Dundee City
 2,091
 161
 1,930
 36,346


 East Ayrshire
 445
 -
 445
 25,318


 East Dunbartonshire
 379
 -
 379
 28,890


 East Lothian
 122
 -
 122
 21,573


 East Renfrewshire
 701
 386
 315
 22,284


 Edinburgh, City of
 3,341
 3,823
 -482
 137,743


 Eilean Siar
 428
 39
 389
 4,467


 Falkirk
 673
 -
 673
 27,626


 Fife
 2,785
 1,753
 1,032
 78,483


 Glasgow City
 9,175
 2,297
 6,878
 145,994


 Highland
 2,200
 -
 2,200
 46,510


 Inverclyde
 573
 341
 232
 19,174


 Midlothian
 - 382
 -
 -382
 18,674


 Moray
 791
 90
 701
 16,943


 North Ayrshire
 1,526
 342
 1,184
 28,213


 North Lanarkshire
 1,471
 5
 1,466
 70,560


 Orkney Islands
 218
 -
 218
 3,171


 Perth and Kinross
 1,119
 135
 984
 34,614


 Renfrewshire
 1,371
 861
 510
 42,873


 Scottish Borders
 277
 135
 142
 20,921


 Shetland Islands
 191
 22
 169
 3,071


 South Ayrshire
 417
 254
 163
 30,413


 South Lanarkshire
 1,403
 915
 488
 68,749


 Stirling
 690
 314
 376
 20,658


 West Dunbartonshire
 952
 449
 503
 23,761


 West Lothian
 532
 -
 532
 30,220



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  Notes:

  1. "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2. "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1997-98

  

 
GrossExpenditureCouncil TaxCollection1
IncomeCouncilTaxCollection1,2
Net Cost ofCouncilTax Collection1
NetCouncilTaxIncome3


 Scotland
 37,440
 18,830
 18,610
 1,330,829


 Aberdeen City
 1,877
 498
 1,379
 54,979


 Aberdeenshire
 1,366
 324
 1,042
 52,244


 Angus
 424
 75
 349
 24,742


 Argyll and Bute
 783
 577
 206
 27,545


 Clackmannanshire
 304
 199
 105
 11,615


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,370
 618
 752
 37,099


 Dundee City
 2,023
 240
 1,783
 41,598


 East Ayrshire
 299
 -
 299
 27,629


 East Dunbartonshire
 512
 -
 512
 33,888


 East Lothian
 498
 36
 462
 23,819


 East Renfrewshire
 408
 289
 119
 24,798


 Edinburgh, City of
 3,460
 3,759
 -299
 143,968


 Eilean Siar
 448
 67
 381
 4,950


 Falkirk
 148
 125
 23
 30,344


 Fife
 3,317
 1,721
 1,596
 85,331


 Glasgow City
 5,063
 3,277
 1,786
 178,279


 Highland
 865
 -
 865
 51,560


 Inverclyde
 688
 234
 454
 21,207


 Midlothian
 230
 398
 -168
 22,294


 Moray
 738
 219
 519
 18,216


 North Ayrshire
 1,363
 471
 892
 31,036


 North Lanarkshire
 2,569
 982
 1,587
 73,408


 Orkney Islands
 210
 -
 210
 3,392


 Perth and Kinross
 1,137
 243
 894
 37,470


 Renfrewshire
 1,372
 829
 543
 46,022


 Scottish Borders
 206
 0
 206
 23,368


 Shetland Islands
 177
 43
 134
 3,450


 South Ayrshire
 1,343
 443
 900
 32,010


 South Lanarkshire
 2,618
 2,022
 596
 76,462


 Stirling
 1
 -
 1
 23,928


 West Dunbartonshire
 806
 1,141
 -335
 28,258


 West Lothian
 817
 -
 817
 35,920



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  Notes:

  1. "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2. "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1998-99

  

 
GrossExpenditureCouncilTax Collection1
IncomeCouncilTaxCollection1,2
Net Cost ofCouncilTaxCollection1
NetCouncilTaxIncome3


 Scotland
 38,444
 15,915
 22,529
 1,421,306


 Aberdeen City
 1,609
 430
 1,179
 62,764


 Aberdeenshire
 1,814
 308
 1,506
 57,589


 Angus
 423
 149
 274
 26,053


 Argyll and Bute
 704
 261
 443
 30,559


 Clackmannanshire
 399
 221
 178
 12,957


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,190
 378
 812
 38,043


 Dundee City
 2,092
 296
 1,796
 45,312


 East Ayrshire
 544
 -
 544
 28,757


 East Dunbartonshire
 195
 -
 195
 34,758


 East Lothian
 524
 -
 524
 26,027


 East Renfrewshire
 390
 74
 316
 26,821


 Edinburgh, City of
 2,254
 1,317
 937
 150,927


 Eilean Siar
 383
 63
 320
 5,497


 Falkirk
 158
 182
 -24
 31,596


 Fife
 2,784
 784
 2,000
 88,772


 Glasgow City
 7,714
 5,398
 2,316
 192,695


 Highland
 930
 -
 930
 60,573


 Inverclyde
 659
 272
 387
 21,993


 Midlothian
 579
 314
 265
 23,545


 Moray
 773
 464
 309
 19,645


 North Ayrshire
 1,208
 220
 988
 32,867


 North Lanarkshire
 2,129
 934
 1,195
 76,218


 Orkney Islands
 194
 25
 169
 3,966


 Perth and Kinross
 1,502
 432
 1,070
 38,043


 Renfrewshire
 1,657
 996
 661
 46,261


 Scottish Borders
 152
 -
 152
 24,480


 Shetland Islands
 190
 34
 156
 3,969


 South Ayrshire
 1,484
 291
 1,193
 33,422


 South Lanarkshire
 2,221
 1,674
 547
 83,802


 Stirling
 -
 -
 -
 24,697


 West Dunbartonshire
 1,110
 398
 712
 30,440


 West Lothian
 479
 -
 479
 38,258



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  Notes:

  1. "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2. "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1999-2000

  

 
GrossExpenditureCouncilTax Collection1
IncomeCouncilTax Collection1,2
Net Cost ofCouncilTaxCollection1
NetCouncilTaxIncome3


 Scotland
 38,261
 12,592
 25,669
 1,469,482


 Aberdeen City
 1,327
 509
 818
 66,383


 Aberdeenshire
 2,795
 -
 2,795
 60,436


 Angus
 707
 76
 631
 27,150


 Argyll and Bute
 725
 537
 188
 30,652


 Clackmannanshire
 345
 117
 228
 13,828


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,470
 405
 1,065
 40,073


 Dundee City
 2,451
 311
 2,140
 46,496


 East Ayrshire
 620
 -
 620
 31,010


 East Dunbartonshire
 218
 -
 218
 36,639


 East Lothian
 601
 -
 601
 26,839


 East Renfrewshire
 539
 530
 9
 28,202


 Edinburgh, City of
 2,358
 2,817
 -459
 155,063


 Eilean Siar
 373
 64
 309
 6,138


 Falkirk
 564
 335
 229
 33,140


 Fife
 2,605
 1,025
 1,580
 94,093


 Glasgow City
 4,461
 - 154
 4,615
 191,535


 Highland
 1,211
 -
 1,211
 59,659


 Inverclyde
 640
 229
 411
 22,487


 Midlothian
 625
 462
 163
 25,128


 Moray
 643
 150
 493
 19,442


 North Ayrshire
 1,088
 207
 881
 34,596


 North Lanarkshire
 2,600
 1,334
 1,266
 80,842


 Orkney Islands
 163
 25
 138
 4,112


 Perth and Kinross
 1,487
 353
 1,134
 40,256


 Renfrewshire
 1,587
 872
 715
 47,274


 Scottish Borders
 497
 -
 497
 25,929


 Shetland Islands
 203
 -
 203
 4,394


 South Ayrshire
 1,101
 558
 543
 34,822


 South Lanarkshire
 2,325
 1,392
 933
 86,806


 Stirling
 -
 -
 -
 26,050


 West Dunbartonshire
 1,291
 438
 853
 29,462


 West Lothian
 641
 -
 641
 40,546



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  1. "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2. "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2000-01

  

 
 Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection1
 Income Council Tax Collection1,2
 Net Cost of Council Tax Collection1
 Net Council Tax Income3


 Scotland
 38,770
 15,127
 23,643
 1,552,775


 Aberdeen City
 1,326
 534
 792
 70,528


 Aberdeenshire
 2,187
 -
 2,187
 66,123


 Angus
 969
 110
 859
 28,706


 Argyll and Bute
 854
 322
 532
 32,815


 Clackmannanshire
 400
 159
 241
 14,637


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,349
 386
 963
 43,247


 Dundee City
 2,575
 395
 2,180
 47,754


 East Ayrshire
 645
 -
 645
 31,625


 East Dunbartonshire
 501
 321
 180
 36,720


 East Lothian
 575
 -
 575
 29,424


 East Renfrewshire
 388
 209
 179
 30,352


 Edinburgh, City of
 2,230
 2,945
 -715
 162,056


 Eilean Siar
 378
 76
 302
 6,259


 Falkirk
 495
 316
 179
 35,530


 Fife
 2,672
 926
 1,746
 100,709


 Glasgow City
 7,007
 3,949
 3,058
 199,106


 Highland
 1,295
 -
 1,295
 63,679


 Inverclyde
 485
 209
 276
 23,924


 Midlothian
 591
 156
 435
 26,501


 Moray
 745
 170
 575
 21,388


 North Ayrshire
 868
 326
 542
 36,604


 North Lanarkshire
 1,673
 -
 1,673
 85,746


 Orkney Islands
 165
 41
 124
 4,574


 Perth and Kinross
 1,619
 509
 1,110
 42,467


 Renfrewshire
 504
 -
 504
 51,582


 Scottish Borders
 945
 462
 483
 28,421


 Shetland Islands
 203
 -
 203
 4,890


 South Ayrshire
 1,173
 590
 583
 34,924


 South Lanarkshire
 2,594
 1,474
 1,120
 90,007


 Stirling
 -
 -
 -
 29,024


 West Dunbartonshire
 1,028
 542
 486
 30,188


 West Lothian
 331
 -
 331
 43,265



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  1 "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2 "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3 Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2001-02

  

 
Gross ExpenditureCouncil TaxCollection1
IncomeCouncil TaxCollection1,2
Net Cost of Council TaxCollection1
Net CouncilTax Income3


 Scotland
 48,567
 19,036
 29,531
 1,648,530


 Aberdeen City
 1,803
 588
 1,215
 73,958


 Aberdeenshire
 2,731
 -
 2,731
 75,051


 Angus
 1,094
 118
 976
 31,086


 Argyll and Bute
 1,036
 450
 586
 34,236


 Clackmannanshire
 206
 252
 -46
 15,139


 Dumfries and Galloway
 2,123
 565
 1,558
 45,451


 Dundee City
 3,433
 592
 2,841
 47,870


 East Ayrshire
 705
 -
 705
 32,778


 East Dunbartonshire
 548
 369
 179
 38,714


 East Lothian
 480
 -
 480
 31,535


 East Renfrewshire
 573
 329
 244
 32,355


 Edinburgh, City of
 2,305
 2,225
 80
 171,441


 Eilean Siar
 420
 104
 316
 6,658


 Falkirk
 785
 771
 14
 39,239


 Fife
 3,485
 1,264
 2,221
 106,955


 Glasgow City
 8,028
 4,221
 3,807
 206,149


 Highland
 1,669
 -
 1,669
 69,521


 Inverclyde
 956
 688
 268
 26,364


 Midlothian
 959
 713
 246
 27,727


 Moray
 828
 199
 629
 22,917


 North Ayrshire
 1,274
 681
 593
 38,535


 North Lanarkshire
 2,678
 749
 1,929
 90,124


 Orkney Islands
 176
 14
 162
 5,097


 Perth and Kinross
 1,759
 638
 1,121
 47,416


 Renfrewshire
 630
 41
 589
 54,942


 Scottish Borders
 874
 310
 564
 31,288


 Shetland Islands
 210
 88
 122
 5,396


 South Ayrshire
 1,275
 709
 566
 37,647


 South Lanarkshire
 3,190
 1,165
 2,025
 93,964


 Stirling
 4
 -
 4
 31,359


 West Dunbartonshire
 1,670
 1,193
 477
 31,244


 West Lothian
 660
 -
 660
 46,374



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  1. "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2. "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2002-03

  

 
Gross ExpenditureCouncil TaxCollection1
IncomeCouncil TaxCollection1,2
Net Cost ofCouncil TaxCollection1
Net CouncilTax Income3


 Scotland
 51,063
 14,107
 36,956
 1,752,818


 Aberdeen City
 2,114
 666
 1,448
 79,611


 Aberdeenshire
 2,775
 -
 2,775
 80,764


 Angus
 1,249
 157
 1,092
 33,955


 Argyll and Bute
 941
 410
 531
 36,307


 Clackmannanshire
 276
 210
 66
 15,798


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,434
 549
 885
 47,982


 Dundee City
 3,420
 613
 2,807
 49,992


 East Ayrshire
 814
 -
 814
 35,215


 East Dunbartonshire
 624
 383
 241
 40,479


 East Lothian
 549
 -
 549
 33,568


 East Renfrewshire
 385
 181
 204
 34,915


 Edinburgh, City of
 3,791
 2,412
 1,379
 180,221


 Eilean Siar
 364
 60
 304
 7,127


 Falkirk
 867
 797
 70
 43,923


 Fife
 3,123
 1,250
 1,873
 117,520


 Glasgow City
 9,690
 1,660
 8,030
 214,208


 Highland
 1,683
 -
 1,683
 72,929


 Inverclyde
 1,030
 603
 427
 28,433


 Midlothian
 849
 251
 598
 28,964


 Moray
 920
 178
 742
 25,531


 North Ayrshire
 958
 256
 702
 41,920


 North Lanarkshire
 2,495
 768
 1,727
 93,939


 Orkney Islands
 182
 55
 127
 5,565


 Perth and Kinross
 1,107
 -
 1,107
 51,470


 Renfrewshire
 814
 -
 814
 58,144


 Scottish Borders
 884
 638
 246
 34,933


 Shetland Islands
 251
 88
 163
 5,929


 South Ayrshire
 1,453
 771
 682
 40,649


 South Lanarkshire
 2,898
 391
 2,507
 97,654


 Stirling
 392
 66
 326
 33,597


 West Dunbartonshire
 2,024
 694
 1,330
 32,890


 West Lothian
 707
 -
 707
 48,686



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  1. "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2. "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2003-04

  

 
Gross ExpenditureCouncil TaxCollection1
Income CouncilTax Collection1,2
Net Cost ofCouncil TaxCollection1
Net CouncilTax Income3


 Scotland
 56,693
 19,142
 37,551
 1,839,804


 Aberdeen City
 2,986
 691
 2,295
 83,594


 Aberdeenshire
 2,858
 -
 2,858
 87,020


 Angus
 1,494
 87
 1,407
 36,543


 Argyll and Bute
 1,084
 412
 672
 36,582


 Clackmannanshire
 577
 465
 112
 16,213


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,382
 1,604
 -222
 48,681


 Dundee City
 3,455
 655
 2,800
 49,832


 East Ayrshire
 864
 -
 864
 37,604


 East Dunbartonshire
 722
 491
 231
 42,996


 East Lothian
 553
 -
 553
 35,373


 East Renfrewshire
 689
 426
 263
 36,809


 Edinburgh, City of
 4,180
 2,517
 1,663
 187,980


 Eilean Siar
 416
 58
 358
 7,537


 Falkirk
 872
 770
 102
 46,108


 Fife
 3,929
 1,779
 2,150
 122,051


 Glasgow City
 11,897
 4,336
 7,561
 221,668


 Highland
 1,950
 -
 1,950
 78,801


 Inverclyde
 1,015
 547
 468
 30,974


 Midlothian
 988
 218
 770
 30,157


 Moray
 1,032
 183
 849
 26,825


 North Ayrshire
 1,263
 365
 898
 44,314


 North Lanarkshire
 2,623
 -
 2,623
 98,298


 Orkney Islands
 185
 77
 108
 6,229


 Perth and Kinross
 1,268
 -
 1,268
 54,302


 Renfrewshire
 868
 -
 868
 61,287


 Scottish Borders
 1,366
 1,046
 320
 38,358


 Shetland Islands
 263
 46
 217
 6,375


 South Ayrshire
 1,628
 653
 975
 42,788


 South Lanarkshire
 2,843
 857
 1,986
 101,783


 Stirling
 369
 115
 254
 37,267


 West Dunbartonshire
 705
 744
 -39
 33,831


 West Lothian
 369
 -
 369
 51,624



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  1 "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2 "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3 Includes Council Tax Benefit.

  Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2004-05

  

 
Gross ExpenditureCouncil TaxCollection1
IncomeCouncil TaxCollection1,2
Net Cost ofCouncil Tax Collection1
Net CouncilTax Income3


 Scotland
 58,981
 22,474
 36,507
 1,959,707


 Aberdeen City
 2,570
 751
 1,819
 91,731


 Aberdeenshire
 2,248
 -
 2,248
 93,521


 Angus
 1,483
 388
 1,095
 39,084


 Argyll and Bute
 1,261
 596
 665
 38,916


 Clackmannanshire
 600
 487
 113
 17,716


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,861
 681
 1,180
 53,033


 Dundee City
 3,630
 700
 2,930
 51,957


 East Ayrshire
 874
 -
 874
 40,096


 East Dunbartonshire
 784
 499
 285
 46,166


 East Lothian
 566
 -
 566
 39,080


 East Renfrewshire
 669
 344
 325
 39,093


 Edinburgh, City of
 4,868
 3,413
 1,455
 197,813


 Eilean Siar
 455
 68
 387
 7,922


 Falkirk
 855
 821
 34
 50,054


 Fife
 3,784
 1,608
 2,176
 128,937


 Glasgow City
 13,036
 4,597
 8,439
 232,485


 Highland
 1,945
 -
 1,945
 84,915


 Inverclyde
 1,015
 729
 286
 31,217


 Midlothian
 1,032
 395
 637
 32,078


 Moray
 977
 197
 780
 30,564


 North Ayrshire
 1,466
 710
 756
 46,833


 North Lanarkshire
 2,353
 809
 1,544
 104,510


 Orkney Islands
 196
 66
 130
 6,576


 Perth and Kinross
 1,202
 -
 1,202
 59,168


 Renfrewshire
 772
 -
 772
 64,817


 Scottish Borders
 1,335
 1,037
 298
 41,250


 Shetland Islands
 237
 81
 156
 7,008


 South Ayrshire
 1,277
 719
 558
 45,217


 South Lanarkshire
 3,531
 1,880
 1,651
 108,343


 Stirling
 260
 151
 109
 38,661


 West Dunbartonshire
 1,203
 747
 456
 35,116


 West Lothian
 636
 -
 636
 55,830



  Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

  1 "Council Tax Collection" excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

  2 "Council Tax Collection Income" includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

  3 Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Crime

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on crime prevention by (a) central government, (b) East Dunbartonshire Council and (c) West Dunbartonshire Council in each year since 1997.

Hugh Henry: Spending on crime prevention by East Dunbartonshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council is a matter for these councils. This information is not held centrally. Scottish Executive spending on crime prevention since 1997 is:

  

 Year
Amount(£ Million)


 1997-98
 3.24


 1998-99
 3.01


 1999-2000
 3.00


 2000-01
 6.72


 2001-02
 8.35


 2002-03
 10.47


 2003-04
 5.70


 2004-05
 7.20

Crime

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current clear-up rates for recorded crime are in (a) Scotland and (b) the (i) West Dunbartonshire and (ii) East Dunbartonshire local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: Information on the most recent clear up rates for the numbers of crimes recorded by the police at local authority level is published in table 6 of the statistical bulletin Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2004-05 , copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37835).

Crofting

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Crofters Commission defines non-crofts and how many it has a record of.

Rhona Brankin: There is no definition of non-crofts. That expression is sometimes used to mean holdings which are not tenanted crofts but are classed as "eligible holdings" for the purposes of Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme (CCAGS). In addition to benefiting croft tenants, that scheme provides assistance under the provisions of section 46 of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993, to croft subtenants, to owners of crofts who also occupy the croft and occupiers of holdings that are not crofts where the holding is of similar size and rental value to a croft. In both the latter cases eligibility is only established where the occupier of the holding is also of substantially similar economic status to a crofter.

  The economic status of an occupier is tested every three years by the commission which retains a record of the persons and holdings for which eligibility for assistance under the scheme has been established.

  There are currently 312 eligible holdings.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to continue providing financial support to Scotland Against Drugs in 2006-07.

Hugh Henry: We will continue to provide funding to support the functions and activities of Scotland Against Drugs (SAD) in 2006-07. However, these functions, and associated funding will transfer to Health Scotland from 1 April 2006. The employability programme, which is the major part of SAD’s current work, will transfer to the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, which is part of Health Scotland. This will enable us to build upon work developed by Scotland Against Drugs to help those with serious drug misuse problems make their way back into work. A press release will be issued later today.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why no agreement has been reached with Scotland Against Drugs on the financial support it requires in 2006-07 and when it expects an agreement to be reached.

Hugh Henry: We have reached agreement on the broad funding allocation for 2006-07 which will transfer to Health Scotland in order for the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives to continue and develop the work of Scotland Against Drugs. The final budget will be agreed towards the end of February 2006.

Drug Misuse

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it continues to support the work of Scotland Against Drugs.

Hugh Henry: The Executive supports the activities that have been undertaken by Scotland Against Drugs. The transfer of functions to the Health Scotland and particularly the Scottish Centre for Health Working Lives will allow this work not only to continue but to develop and expand. This is especially important in relation to employability which is key to helping those with serious drug misuse problems make their way back into work.

Drug Misuse

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which drug action teams are operating in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area; how much funding has been allocated to each team, and what indicators have been established to assess the effectiveness of the teams.

Hugh Henry: East Dunbartonshire lies within Greater Glasgow Drug Action Team (DAT) area. Responsibility for West Dunbartonshire local authority area is spilt between Greater Glasgow Drug Action Team and Argyll and Clyde Alcohol and Drug Action Team.

  Greater Glasgow DAT, through Greater Glasgow NHS Board, receives £6,392,277 per annum for drug treatment services and £135,570 per annum DAT support funding. Argyll and Clyde DAT, through Argyll and Clyde NHS Board, receives £2,226,140 per annum for drug treatment services and £112,049 per annum DAT support funding.

  Drug Action Teams are required to report annually to the Scottish Executive, through Corporate Action Plans, on the implementation of the national drugs strategy at a local level which includes key targets on:

  reducing the number of young people reporting use of illegal drugs;

  increasing the numbers of drug misusers in contact with treatment and care services, and

  reducing the number of drug related deaths.

  Corporate Action Plans are published on the Drug Misuse Information Scotland website at: http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/.

Education

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure improvements in information literacy.

George Lyon: Information about ICT training and the use of ICT in learning, teaching and community development in Scotland is published in the National Grid for Learning  progress reports. The most recent report was published in December 2003.

  The annual Learning for Life and Leisure Survey (formerly known as the National Adult Learners Survey) includes information on attitudes towards and the use of ICT. The survey previously covered only England and Wales but will, for the current survey, to be published in 2006, also cover Scotland.

  Further sources of information are available about access to and use of ICT, for example from the Digital Inclusion Audit of public access to and use of the internet in social inclusion partnership areas, most recently published in May 2004.

  Links to the National Grid for Learning third progress report and Digital Inclusion Audit 2004 are provided as follows: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/ngflscotland/

  http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/communities/digitalinclusion/audit.asp.

Education

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been carried out of the impact of the Bookstart pack for babies aged up to 12 months on the speech and language skills of children.

Robert Brown: Booktrust, which oversees the Bookstart programme, has commissioned research in England into the effectiveness of the programme. The evidence shows that Bookstart children are further ahead than their peers in their reading, writing, maths and science at the end of Key Stage 1 than non-Bookstart children.

Education

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce the Bookstart plus scheme for toddlers aged 18 to 30 months, as introduced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive has no current plans to introduce the Bookstart Plus scheme for toddlers aged 18 to 30 months.

Education

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce My Bookstart Treasure Chest for children aged 36 to 48 months, as introduced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive has no current plans to introduce My Bookstart Treasure Chest for children aged 36 to 48 months.

Enterprise

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3826 by Mr Jim Wallace on 17 November 2003, what conclusions have been drawn by the Executive from the research conducted by Phil Taylor of the University of Stirling and Peter Bain of the University of Strathclyde on call centres in Scotland and outsourced competition from India.

Nicol Stephen: Work by the Scottish Executive on call and contact centres and offshoring has moved on significantly since the 2003 Taylor and Bain Report. The Taylor and Bain work was considered by a sub-group of the Financial Services Strategy Group (FSSG) which looked specifically at the issue of offshoring. The sub-group noted that overall, Scotland has a good track record in attracting call and contact centres, but that offshoring is a potential risk. To combat this potential risk, the FSSG sub-group concluded that Scotland should promote the success of companies in Scotland, develop workforce capability and invest in financial education. These three conclusions are embedded in the Strategy for the Financial Services Industry in Scotland and actions around them are included in the Strategy’s Implementation Plan.

  We continue to keep the current position of the call and contact centre industry in Scotland and the effects of offshoring under review. Employment data shows continued growth of the call and contact centre industry in Scotland – by over 4% in the last four years. Scotland has a quality workforce and remains an attractive investment location for the call and contact centre industry.

Ferry Services

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question to S2W-19986 by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005, how it would frame a Users’ Charter in order to make it legally binding.

Tavish Scott: There are several ways that a Users’ Charter could be framed to make it legally binding. Were the Executive to enter into an agreement with a ferry operator to introduce a Users’ Charter on a particular route, the detailed legal issues would be considered at that time.

Football

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it and its agencies, and NHS boards, provide for women’s football at a grassroots level, in light of the health and social benefits of participation in the game.

Patricia Ferguson: Sportscotland has committed £400,000 towards supporting the Scottish Women’s Football Association’s current four-year development plan. In addition, implementation of the Action Plan for Youth Football will help deliver a step change in the development of women’s and girls’ football. Women’s and girls’ football also benefits from many facility awards and our substantial investment in initiatives such as Active Schools.

Foster Care

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio is of children requiring foster care to the number of foster carers available.

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foster carers look after (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four or more foster children.

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foster carers have been suspended.

Robert Brown: The information requested is not held centrally.

Foster Care

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received in respect of the foster carers appeals process.

Robert Brown: The issue of foster carer appeals was raised by the Adoption Policy Review Group in its Phase II report Adoption: Better Choices for our Children . The Scottish Executive supports their recommendation that there should be an independent system for appeals by prospective foster carers and existing foster carers. Views were sought on this in the consultation paper Secure and Safe Homes for our Most Vulnerable Children: Scottish Executive Proposals for Action . The consultation ended on 31 October 2005 and responses are currently being considered.

Freedom of Information

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Freedom of information requests it has received since 1 January 2005, broken down by (a) department and (b) division.

Ms Margaret Curran: Between 1 January 2005 and 31 October 2005, the Scottish Executive received and recorded centrally 1,562 Freedom of Information requests. A breakdown of the number of requests received by department is provided in our six-monthly report, the first of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37868) and on the Freedom of Information pages of the Scottish Executive website. The next six-monthly report will be produced in February 2006. A breakdown of the number of requests received at divisional level is not held.

G8 Summit

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional payments it has made or allocated to local authorities for costs associated with extra security relating to the G8 summit and G8-related protests and demonstrations, broken down by local authority.

Mr Tom McCabe: We will publish the costs and benefits associated with the G8 summit by the end of the year.

G8 Summit

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the total known costs of administering and policing the G8 summit at Gleneagles in July 2005.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the to question S2W-19841 answered on 1 December 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

G8 Summit

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken since 1996 to reduce crime rates in disadvantaged areas in the West Dunbartonshire local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: Since 1999, the Scottish Executive has made it a priority to provide the necessary resources to the police service to increase the number of police officers available to Chief Constables. In Strathclyde, the number of officers over this period has increased by over 500. The number of recorded crimes in West Dunbartonshire has fallen from 10,812 in 1996-97 to 9,491 in 2004-05.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many deaths obesity was a contributory factor in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

George Lyon: The information available is given in the following table.

  Deaths in Scotland Where Obesity1 was Mentioned on The Death Certificate, 1995–2004

  

 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 95
 100
 99
 111
 91
 107
 119
 140
 147
 139



  Note: 1. 1995-1999, ICD9 code 278.0; 2000-04, ICD10 code E66

  It is likely that the figures quoted under-estimate the true figure because such information may not always be recorded by the doctor completing the medical certificate of cause of death.

Housing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many rural second and holiday homes there were in each year since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of total housing and broken down by ward.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested can be found in the Communities Scotland Research Report No.58 The Impact of Second and Holiday Homes in Rural Scotland  which is available publicly.

Housing

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what Glasgow Housing Association’s conditions of registration with Communities Scotland are in relation to local management arrangements, local housing organisations, interim management agreements and the development of a full management agreement and what action is available to Communities Scotland in the event of any breach of these conditions.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Communities Scotland, as regulator, is responsible for determining the specific conditions to be attached to the registration of any registered social landlord (RSL). Communities Scotland set the following registration conditions for Glasgow Housing Association (GHA):

  GHA must demonstrate how it will, over an appropriate period of time, fulfil all promises and commitments made to tenants in Stage 1 and Stage 2 Notices and contained in the transfer agreement;

  GHA must advise Communities Scotland of any inability to meet promises or commitments made to tenants, failure to meet terms of the Transfer Agreement, or material changes required to its business plan or funding arrangements;

  GHA will produce an interim Management Agreement by 17 April 2003 and thereafter, within 18 to 24 months of transfer, a final management agreement which maximises the opportunity for LHO involvement and allows decentralisation of decision-making;

  GHA establishes mechanisms for allocating resources to LHOs for management, investment and operating costs by 31 March 2003;

  GHA actively promotes and supports establishing a registered LHO network within six months of the date of transfer including producing an accommodation strategy and an ICT strategy;

  GHA delivers a permanent staffing strategy by 31 March 2003 that allows LHOs to demonstrate independence from GHA and achieve registration, and

  The regulator agreed a regulation workplan with GHA to monitor progress in meeting these conditions and has agreed changes to the timescales where appropriate.

  GHA received legal advice that EU procurement rules made the current arrangements with LHOs for service delivery untenable. Scottish ministers have decided that one way to tackle this is to introduce an amendment to the Housing Bill which was discussed in Parliament on 24 November. This amendment will allow ministers to direct GHA to devolve its housing management functions to another RSL. It will also allow ministers to set out the terms of the agreement between the two organisations.

  If it is not possible for GHA to meet the conditions attached to its registration, then the regulator has a range of actions available. These actions may range from requiring new agreements to be put in place which fulfil the registration conditions, to making use of statutory intervention powers if necessary. We are confident, however, that the amendment to the bill, if passed, will ensure that tenant commitments and control are delivered.

Housing

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) will be in breach of its registration conditions with Communities Scotland if the interim management agreements expire and no new management agreements are entered into and what action is available to Communities Scotland if GHA is in breach of the conditions.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Communities Scotland, as regulator, is actively working with Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) to establish how the recent developments on the procurement of services affect GHA’s registration conditions.

  An amendment has now been introduced to the Housing Bill which was discussed in Parliament on 24 November 2005. This amendment will allow ministers to direct GHA to devolve its housing management functions to another registered social landlord. This amendment protects the substance of the interim management agreements and will ensure that ministerial objectives, tenant commitments and tenant control are delivered. It should, therefore, ensure that GHA would not breach any of its registration conditions.

  If GHA does not meet the conditions attached to its registration, then the regulator has a range of actions available to address this. These include making use of statutory intervention powers, if necessary.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many affordable homes for rent will be made available as a result of pressured area status being applied to some Highland Council areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: The designation of a pressured area does not, in itself, immediately free up affordable homes for rent to new tenants. Rather, it aims to protect the existing social rented stock for future tenancies in pressured areas. The recent designation in the Highland Council area suspends the potential sale of 2,039 properties in response to pressures identified in particular localities by the council.

Justice

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support any moves for Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi to serve the remainder of his sentence in North Africa.

Cathy Jamieson: Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi is serving a sentence of life imprisonment in HM Prison Greenock having been found guilty of the murder of 270 people.

  The Secretary General to the United Nations made it clear to the Libyans before the Lockerbie trial that those found guilty under Scottish law would serve their prison sentence in Scotland. The Libyan Government responded in writing and confirmed that:

  "The suspects, if convicted, will serve their prison sentence in Scotland under U.N. supervision and with assured access to a Libyan consulate to be established in Scotland, in accordance with the arrangements reached with the British Government."

  There has been no discussion with the Libyan authorities about a possible transfer of Mr Al Megrahi from a Scottish jail. The Scottish Executive and the United Kingdom Government’s position remains that, in relation to the Lockerbie trial, those tried and found guilty under Scottish law would serve their prison sentence in Scotland.

  Given that the crime occurred in Scotland and that the trial and appeal were conducted under Scottish law, the Scottish Executive believes that it is appropriate that he serves his sentence here.

Legal Aid

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that people with a communication impairment benefit equally from the provisions of the proposed Legal Assistance and Legal Profession (Scotland) Bill.

Hugh Henry: We are committed to equal access to justice for all, including those with a communication impairment. Through the proposed Legal Assistance and Legal Profession (Scotland) Bill we hope to bring forward improvements in the system of handling complaints made against solicitors, and changes that pave the way for more efficient, effective access to legal aid, advice and information. During two separate consultations on these issues we invited the views of key stakeholders, including the Disability Rights Commission, and provided assistance to consultees with special needs to enable them to contribute their views.

  Under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, all public bodies must have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. The Scottish Legal Aid Board, the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman currently provide information in a range of alternative formats including other languages, Braille, large print, or on audio tape.

  We shall, of course, take account of the needs of those with communication impairment when considering any changes to the way in which people access legal advice and representation or make complaints about lawyers in the future.

Local Government

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that efficiency savings required of local authorities will not be passed on as reductions in frontline services.

Mr Tom McCabe: We have always been quite clear: the purpose of pursuing efficiency savings is to enhance levels of service not to reduce them. Only those savings which meet the criteria set out in our definitions of time or cash releasing savings can be counted as efficiency savings.

Local Government

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have applied for pressured area status; when each such application was made, and which applications have been successful.

Malcolm Chisholm: Three local authorities have applied for Right to Buy pressured area designation.

  East Renfrewshire Council applied on 4 May 2005 for the Eastwood part of its area. The council provided supplementary information on 8 July 2005. On 7 October 2005 the Scottish ministers designated the areas covered by the application.

  Highland Council applied on 1 June 2005 for a number of localities within its area. The council provided supplementary information on 15 August. On 15 November 2005 the Scottish ministers designated the areas covered by the application.

  South Ayrshire Council applied on 16 July 2004. It submitted revised versions of its application on 14 October 2004 and 7 July 2005. The council provided supplementary information on 8 August 2005. Its final application is currently being assessed.

Mortality

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the 10 most common causes of death are in Scotland.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the following table which covers men and women separately. All deaths in Scotland are classified according to the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD). As with all classifications, the ICD tends to group minor categories and split up larger categories. Any choice of a "top ten" causes of death is therefore somewhat subjective. For example, in preparing the tables major cancer sites have been treated as distinct causes. If all cancer sites had been grouped together, cancer would have been the most common cause for both men and women.

  Most Common Causes Of Death, Scotland, 2004

  

 Rank
 Cause (ICD10 codes)
 No. of Deaths
 % of All Deaths


 Males
 
 
 


 1
 Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25)
 5,814
 21.7


 2
 Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69)
 2,294
 8.6


 3
 Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33, C34)
 2,151
 8.0


 4
 Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47)
 1,403
 5.2


 5
 Influenza and pneumonia (J10-J18)
 929
 3.5


 6
 Malignant neoplasm of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus (C18-C21)
 851
 3.2


 7
 Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76)
 823
 3.1


 8
 Malignant neoplasm of prostate (C61)
 802
 3.0


 9
 Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (F01, F03, G30)
 645
 2.4


 10
 Suicide and injury/poisoning of undetermined intent (X60-X84, Y10-Y34)
 602
 2.2


 
 All causes of death
 26,775
 100.0


 Females
 
 
 


 1
 Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25)
 4,964
 16.9


 2
 Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69)
 3,861
 13.1


 3
 Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33, C34)
 1,772
 6.0


 4
 Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (F01, F03, G30)
 1,709
 5.8


 5
 Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47)
 1,504
 5.1


 6
 Influenza and pneumonia (J10-J18)
 1,473
 5.0


 7
 Malignant neoplasm of breast (C50)
 1,082
 3.7


 8
 Malignant neoplasm of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus (C18-C21)
 717
 2.4


 9
 Diseases of the urinary system (N00-N39)
 587
 2.0


 10
 Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease (I50, I51)
 512
 1.7


 
 All causes of death
 29,412
 100.0

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of discrimination have been brought against police forces under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally. Employment matters are in the first instance for the chief constable and the police board.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners suffered from, or presented with, (a) mental health problems, (b) dyslexia, (c) other literacy problems, (d) numeracy problems, (e) alcoholism or drink-related problems, (f) drug addiction or substance abuse, (g) homelessness and (h) debt or financial problems in each year since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of prisoners, and how many staff employed in prisons dealt with these problems annually, broken down by field of specialisation.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  (a) This information is not available.

  (b) This information is not available.

  (c) and (d)

  Not all prisoners are screened for literacies. However, based on assessments undertaken on prisoner samples over this period around 50% demonstrated literacy problems, and slightly more had problems with numeracy.

  (e) and (f)

  Both drugs and alcohol are combined under substance misuse, and were not collated separately until August 2005:

  

 
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04


 Total recorded entries into prisons
 20 667
 22 137
 23 702
 23 508


 Total addictions presentations
 14 300
 16 867
 14 570
 18 186


 Presentation as a % of total admissions
 69%
 76%
 61.5%
 77%



  (g) This information is not available.

  (h) This information is not available.

  The staff figures sought are not available. Most SPS employees in SPS prisons, contracted staff in SPS prisons and contractors such as HM Prison Kilmarnock deal with these prisoner issues.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of serious self-harm of prisoners there have been in Reliance’s custody in the financial year 2005-06 to date, broken down by quarter, and what the comparable figures were in 2004-05.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of serious assault against staff and/or other non-prisoners there have been by prisoners in Reliance’s custody in the financial year 2005-06 to date, broken down by quarter, and what the comparable figures were in 2004-05.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of serious assault on fellow prisoners there have been by prisoners in Reliance’s custody in the financial year 2005-06 to date, broken down by quarter, and what the comparable figures were in 2004-05.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of concerted disorder there have been by prisoners in Reliance’s custody in the financial year 2005-06 to date, broken down by quarter, and what the comparable figures were in 2004-05.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of attempted escape there have been by prisoners in Reliance’s custody in the financial year 2005-06 to date, broken down by quarter, and what the comparable figures were in 2004-05.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of key/lock compromise or loss there have been by prisoners in Reliance’s custody in the financial year 2005-06 to date, broken down by quarter, and what the comparable figures were in 2004-05.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to questions S2W-8431 and S2W-16511 on 8 June 2004 and 23 May 2005 respectively which clearly outline the summary performance information which it has been agreed to release.

  This summary performance information can be viewed on the SPS website at www.sps.gov.uk.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The other information is not releasable under the terms of the agreement with the company.

Rail Freight

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of any subsidies it provides to rail freight services operated partially or wholly in Scotland.

Tavish Scott: We provide financial support to rail freight services in Scotland through our Freight Facilities and Track Access Grant schemes. These are open to any rail freight service in Scotland which is unable to compete on price with its road alternative.

  Details of individual awards of grant can be accessed on the Scottish Executive website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Transport/FT/freightgrants1.

Rail Freight

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to supermarkets which have abandoned the use of the EWS container rail service to Inverness.

Tavish Scott: We have discussed the rail option with the supermarkets who until recently had used EWS services to transport their goods to Inverness. They are aware of the merits of rail, and the availability of freight grant support, however, the choice of whether to use road or rail is a commercial decision for the individual companies concerned.

Road Accidents

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19966 by Cathy Jamieson on 10 November 2005, how many accidents in each year since 1999 involved motor vehicle drivers or riders with illegal alcohol levels, broken down by (a) severity of accident and (b) number of casualties.

Tavish Scott: The estimated numbers of accidents which involved motor vehicle drivers or riders with illegal alcohol levels and the numbers of casualties in such accidents, for each year from 1999 to 2002, were published in Table 22 of Road Accidents Scotland 2003 , copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 34523).

  The equivalent figures for 2003 are given in the following table.

  

 Number of Accidents
 Fatal injury
 40


 Serious injury
 180


 Slight injury
 530


 Total injury accidents
 750


 Number of Casualties
 Killed
 50


 Seriously injured
 230


 Slightly injured
 850


 Total casualties
 1,130

Schools

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to encourage community use of school sports facilities.

Robert Brown: The Executive encourages the fullest use of all local authority resources, including school sports facilities. It is though for authorities and schools to consider locally how best to encourage such community use. In Building our Future: Scotland’s School Estate , published jointly in 2003 by the Executive and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, there was clear commitment all round to delivering better services to local communities.

Scottish Criminal Records Office

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Scottish Executive will take to clarify current practice and policy in respect of fingerprinting, following reported comments by the Head of the Scottish Fingerprint Service which may have an impact on the validity of fingerprint verification as carried out by the Scottish Criminal Records Office.

Cathy Jamieson: All officers in the Scottish Fingerprint Service (SFS) carry out their work in line with international standards. They all agree that fingerprint evidence is expert opinion of identification based on the scientific fact that fingerprints are unique to every individual and that an identification is made when the expert is personally satisfied that the order, relationship and unique properties of the features in any two prints are in agreement with no features in disagreement which cannot be explained. Once a match has been made it must be verified by two other fingerprint officers.

  The processes are subject to internal quality assurance and to external independent audit under ISO 9001:2000 to which the SFS is accredited.

Scottish Executive Advertising

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment is being made of value for money in respect of its expenditure on advertising.

George Lyon: Executive advertising is evaluated by the Office of the Chief Researcher using various research techniques and routinely published on the Executive’s website. It is also measured against targets such as the number of people receiving flu injections or responses to the domestic abuse helpline.

  The Executive’s advertising work is also assessed by its peers. Recently its work won the top Scottish Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Effectiveness Award and, last month, eight awards and 10 commendations at the 2005 Scottish Advertising Awards.

Scottish Executive Staff

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it employs from ethnic minorities, broken down by department.

Mr Tom McCabe: The number of permanent staff employed in the Scottish Executive core departments who have declared themselves to be from an ethnic minority is shown in the following table.

  Permanent Staff from an Ethnic Minority at October 2005

  

 Department
 Total


 Development Department
 *


 Education Department
 *


 Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
 6


 Environment and Rural Affairs Department
 5


 Finance and Central Services Department
 8


 Health Department
 *


 Justice Department
 5


 Legal and Parliamentary Services
 *


 Office of The Permanent Secretary
 5


 Grand Total
 43



  Note: *To prevent disclosure of sensitive personal information we do not report on figures less than five.

Scottish Executive Staff

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many women it employs, broken down by department.

Mr Tom McCabe: The number of female permanent staff employed in the Scottish Executive core departments is shown in the following table.

  Permanent Female Staff at October 2005

  

 Department
 Total


 Development Department
 137


 Education Department
 168


 Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
 283


 Environment and Rural Affairs Department
 476


 Finance and Central Services Department
 229


 Health Department
 265


 Justice Department
 168


 Legal and Parliamentary Services
 123


 Office of The Permanent Secretary
 387


 Centrally Managed Staff
 32


 Grand Total
 2,268

Scottish Water

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current budget is for the Katrine Water project.

Rhona Brankin: The budget for the Loch Katrine Project is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Scottish Water to provide you with the details you require.

  In the meantime, you may be interested to know that Scottish Water has a website for this project which contains more information and an update of progress: www.katrinewaterproject.com.

Young People

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of providing a second year’s funding to the Youth Achievement Awards promoted by Youth Scotland.

Robert Brown: The Youth Achievement Awards were previously supported by Scottish Executive project grant under the Children and Young People’s Grant scheme. These grants (now available through the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector fund) support the development and evaluation of innovative ideas and are time limited.

  Scottish Executive officials and Youth Scotland are currently in discussion over the future development of the Youth Achievement Awards.

Young People

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to enable an individual who works for more than one organisation to make a single application for a disclosure certificate, rather than having to make multiple applications.

Robert Brown: The Executive is currently developing plans for a new vetting and barring system for those working with vulnerable groups following the recommendations made in the Bichard report. Features planned for the new system include the continuous updating of information following an initial disclosure check and regulated access to the barred status of an individual for those with a genuine need to know. This will remove the need for multiple applications for disclosure certificates where there has been no change in that status.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Expenses

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what (a) lunches, (b) dinners, (c) trips within the United Kingdom, (d) overseas trips and (e) other forms of hospitality it has paid for (i) its members, (ii) the Parliament’s Chief Executive and officials within his staff and (iii) any guests in each of the last three financial years to date; who authorised the expenditure on each occasion, and what the purpose of each event or trip was.

Duncan McNeil: The Presiding Officer has agreed to write to the member on this matter.